Delbert L. Parker, Sr.

Del Parker walked into the arms of the Lord at 4:13 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. He was 89. The family will greet friends from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Rector Funeral Home, 2800 S. Osage. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, in the chapel of Rector Funeral Home with Dr. Randy Davis, and the Rev. Heather McColl Reed officiating. Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery with military honors by the Volleys for Veterans. Serving the Lord was Del's passion. He became a Christian as a young man, and was a good and faithful servant. He was ordained a deacon at River Road Baptist Church. That day was celebrated with his wife, children and grandchildren gathered around him. The last few years of his life were dedicated to evangelizing through his T-shirt ministry. It gave him joy to select passages from Scripture, and have them printed on brightly colored T-shirts. He wore those shirts with pride, becoming a virtual walking billboard for God. Delbert Luther Parker was born to William Henry and Lillian Edith Lane Parker on Nov. 10, 1929, in Pawhuska, Okla. Del adored his father Bill, and was a dutiful son to his mother, Lillie. As a teenager, Del won his father's blessing to join the Army Air Forces. He saw duty in Okinawa during the Korean Conflict, and served stateside training recruits bound for Vietnam in the 1960s. In between, he served at duty stations in England; Northern Africa; Japan; Lake Charles, La.; and Dover, Del. He retired as an Air Force tech sergeant on June 30, 1968. On July 1, 1968, he began work with then-Bell Helicopter Textron building helicopters for the Vietnam war effort. He retired after more than 20 years with Bell Helicopter. While home on leave early in his military career, Del met a girl serving up handmade treats behind the soda fountain at the G&L drug store. As a teen he, too, had been a soda jerk at the Rexall store on Kihekah at East Sixth Street in Pawhuska. Coletta Wilson, that girl behind the soda fountain, would become the love of his life, and mother of his two children. He once said: "I drank a whole lot of Dr Pepper that summer, trying to get her to like me." They married July 16, 1953, one month to the day before Coletta turned 18. Together they had first, a daughter Deb, and a son, Corky. In their own ways, both children were named for their father, Deb is a common nickname for Delbert, and Corky was formally named after his father. After 53 years and 8 months of marriage, Del said goodbye to his "Shug." The Lord took her home March 4, 2007, after a five-year battle against cancer. His final years were spent with his companion and wife, Ruth Ann Gentile Heath Parker. They were married Dec. 31, 2009. Together they were members of Lifeway Fellowship Baptist Church Church. The last couple of years of his life, Del started making canes from mesquite and other woods. He was often helped in this by Corky who would acquire sticks for his dad to work on. In addition to his second wife; survivors include his daughter, Debra Ann Parker, and her wife, Brenda Jennings; his son, Corky Parker, and his wife Terry Parker, and two granddaughters, Kerby Erin Parker, and Kally Leann Parker. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lifeway church building fund, or a favorite charity. Family Gathering Rector Funeral Home Friday, January 04, 2019 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM 2800 South Osage Amarillo, Texas 79103 Funeral Service Rector Funeral Home Saturday, January 05, 2019 2:00 PM 2800 South Osage Amarillo, Texas 79103